Housing for reflector buttons



yay, w3. l L s. s. ADAMS Mim I HOUSING FOR REFLECTOR BUTTONS Filed Nov.V 29, 19:55

Patented May 31, 1938 NlTED STATES ATENT orgies HOUSING FOR REFLECTOR BUTTONS Stephen S. Adams, St. Louis, M0.

Application November 29, 1935, Serial No. 52,041

l Claim.

This invention relates generally to housings for reflector buttons, and more particularly to the type of removable button which is used in trai-Tlc signals of various kinds such as are used on streets and highways, in which the buttons appear to light up when struck by the beams of an oncoming motor vehicle, so that the signal or sign will be outstanding from its surroundings and be more readily visible.

In the construction of this type of signal or sign heretofore used, the buttons are placed in openings formed in the face of the sign, the openings being generally so grouped as to form letters and words. Generally backing plates, or intermediate plates as they are called, are secured to the rear face of the sign by means of screws, each backing plate contacting with a number of buttons. In such a structure a housing is secured to the back of the sign which may cover all of the backing plates, or a separate housing may be used for each backing plate. In the use of this construction if one or more of the buttons becomes damaged either through accident'or vandalism it is very diiicult to replace the same without removing the sign and laying it face down, for the reason that all of the buttons ofthe group in which the damaged button is located are loosened and unsupported when the backing plate is removed to replace the damaged button.

Reector buttons adapted to be individually secured in the sign so that they are removable have been produced, but they are expensive to manufacture and more or less difcult to manipulate. In my device the securing structure is formed in two complementary sections adapted to hold the button therebetween which can be clamped together at one end in a very simple and highly efcient manner, and which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

In my construction the backing or intermediate plates referred to are eliminated and the buttons are individually secured to the sign in such a manner that any button can be removed and replaced in a very simple manner without disturbing any of the adjacent buttons. This is made possible by providing a separate housing of two complementary members which is adapted to interlock with the face of the sign and in which the button is removably secured. By this construction the replacement of damaged buttons is 'accomplished readily and easily.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a rear View of a button and its housing in position in association with a fragment of a sign;

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan of the structure shown in Fig. 1, the sign fragment being shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a similar View to Fig. 2, taken from another angle;

rality of openings 2 are formed in this plate which are arranged in groups so as to form letters or other insignia as required by the purpose of the sign.

Carried by the face plate I is a housing consisting of complementary sections, each of which is provided at one end with an outwardly extending flange 3 adjacent which is a neck 4, the width of which is the same as the thickness of the face plate I. Immediately above the neck the housing section is bowed or bulged outwardly forming a shoulder, as indicated by the numeral 5, the flange 3, neck 4, and bulged portion 5 forming a groove into which the plate I enters (see Fig. 4). The body portion 6 of the housing tapers outwardly. Each of the housing sections is at least slightly less than one-half of the opening in which it is to be located, so that the anges can be passed through the opening and then the sections moved away from each other, thus causing l the plate to enter the groove formed by the parts 3, 4, and 5, as previously described. This position is clearly shown in Fig. 2. Extending from each of the housing sections or members is a projection 1 having a curved face 8 and a flat underface 9. The projections are so positioned that when the housing is assembled they will be substantially diametrically opposite each other. It will be noted that when the housing is assembled it will be hollow and open at each end (see Fig.

Li l) housing from moving toward each other and becoming disengaged from the plate I. Secured to the large end of the portion I0 is a reflector I2. This reflector may be secured in any desired manner, such as crimping or hanging as shown in Fig. 4, and is preferably of the concavo-convex type. The reflector ts snugly within the large end of the assembled housing and prevents collapse of that end of the housing. In order to secure the ends of the housing adjacent the reector from moving outwardly as well as to secure the reflector button in position, I provide a locking member consisting of a bar I3 which is provided at each end with an eye or stirrup I4, which is preferably triangular in shape (see Fig. 3). The locking member is preferably made of spring material so that it can be snapped into locking position, and for this reason the eyes or stirrups I4 are left open (see Fig. 3). lt will be noted from the drawing that the eyes are secured over the projections I and the bar I3 presses on the reflector, thereby simultaneously securing the housing members against movement and holding the reflector button within the housing. Y

1n the modied form shown in Fig. 5, the housing members I5 and I6 are of the same construction as the members. 6 as to that portion which interlocks with the plate I and that which surrounds the button, but instead of the projections 1, I have provided integral ears or lugs I1 projecting upwardly from the large end of the housing and so arranged as to be substantially diametrically opposite each other. These ears or lugs are bent inwardly and outwardly so as to form seats I 8 for opposite ends of the loop I9, which is preferably formed of a single strand of spring wire with the ends overlapping but unattached to each other, as shown in Fig. 5. The loop I9 acts as a locking member for the housing sections or members, and also extends across the reflector of the button so as to secure the button in position in the housing.

In the modification shown in Fig. 6 the lower en-ds of the housing sections 20 and 20 are identical with those of the sections 6 and I5 and I6, but instead of projections or ears on the housing sections each section is provided with a groove '.ZI which is adjacent and parallel to the edge 22 of the housing section, and in these grooves is place-d a split spring 23 which not only locks the housing members together but presses them tightly against the reflector button, thereby causing the housing sections to frictionally hold the button in place.

While I have shown and described the openings in the plate I and the housings as being circular, it is obvious that the openings and housings may be made angular without departing from the spirit of my invention. Also it follows that the shape of the reflector buttons will vary as the shapes of the housings vary. It is my intention to enclose the rear ends of the buttons and housings by means of acoversecured to the back face of the face plate I in order to prevent tampering with the locks and buttons or button housings.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that should any one of the reector buttons become damaged in any way the same can be readily replaced by removing the locking member from the particular housing containing the damaged button, replacing the same with a new button, and then replacing the locking member, and this can be done without disturbing any of the adjacent buttons as each button is provided with an individual housing that is interlocked separately with the plate forming the face of the sign, and no backing plate that holds a plurality of reflector buttons in place is required.

Another important feature of my construction is that buttons can be removed and replaced without taking down the sign, as the buttons are individually secured in housings interlocked with the sign and are not dependent on any common holding or securing means.

The reector buttons are made of the material usually employed for this purpose and the projecting portion II may be of any desired shape.

It will be noted that the housing is composed of complementary sections having a body portion which is provided at one end with a reduced or neck portion so shaped as to fit the contour of an opening formed in the face plate of a sign, and with an outwardly extending flange or projection on the end of the neck, the space between the body portion of the housing and the flange or projection being equal to the thickness of the sign face plate. The ange or projection is of such size that it will pass through the opening in the face plate when the sections are placed in position but will extend beyond the edge of the opening when the sections are moved apart and are held in this interlocking position and against sections for interlocking the same against outward movement with an opening in a sign face plate, a reilector button located in said housing and adapted to conne said housing in said sign plate, and a spring bar for securing the free ends of -sai-d housing sections against movement tending to free said housing sections from said opening in said sign face plate, said bar also engaging the back of the reflector button to hold it in said housing.

STEPHEN S. ADAMS. 

